Dark Wings
by qwiksylver
Summary: A raven from Ned brings news of Elia's fate to Dorne.


Warning: contains brief mention of Elia's rape.

* * *

Lyanna startled back awake when she heard the door slam open. She groggily struggled to sit up, pulling the covers up with her to hide her state of undress. Her swollen stomach made even such simple actions difficult.

Her husband was standing in the doorway, his face slightly obscured by the darkness of the room.

"Oberyn, I was sleeping! There's no need to slam– "Lyanna paused when she finally saw her husband's face, and the haze of sleep cleared from her mind as she remembered why he had left their chambers in the first place. "Oberyn, what's happened?"

His gaze met hers, and her worries only intensified by the lost, haunted look in his eyes. He staggered toward the bed, having to catch himself on the footboard to avoid falling over. Had she not known he was coming from Doran's solar, she would have thought he was drunk. Whatever news the raven had brought must have been devastating.

She reached for him as he climbed, fully clothed, onto the bed, and he gently pushed her to lie back down. He pulled her tightly to himself as soon as he lay down behind her, her back against his chest.

After more than two years of knowing her husband, Lyanna knew better than to push him for an explanation. He always told her what was upsetting him; she just needed to give him time.

They lay in silence for what seemed like hours. Every moment that went by, Lyanna's fears increased. Her child twisted restlessly inside her, sensing how upset she was. When the maester had woken them both earlier in the night, saying that Doran had received a raven with a Stark seal, Lyanna had feared for her brother. Oberyn had gone to Doran's solar to find out what the letter said, but she had stayed in bed. Walking was getting more difficult as her pregnancy progressed. Ned was still fighting in rebellion against the iron throne. Once Rhaegar had died, the reports they had gotten all said Ned had begun to march on King's Landing. But something happening to Ned wouldn't explain Oberyn's obvious grief. To her shame, she felt a measure of relief to realise that her husband's reactions meant her brother was still safe.

Oberyn pulled her even closer, mindful of her stomach. He buried his head in her hair, and whispered, so quietly that she almost didn't hear him, "Elia is dead."

Lyanna felt her insides go cold. While she was worrying for her brother, she had forgotten to think of Elia. Elia, who was caught on the opposite side of the rebellion, stuck in King's Landing by the Mad King's orders. Elia, who might have been killed by Stark men. Lyanna's eyes filled with tears for her goodsister. Then another, equally horrifying thought entered her mind, causing the tears to spill. "The children?"

"Dead." His voice was barely understandable, choked by tears and grief.

The last time she had seen him cry was over a year ago, at the birth of their son, Torrhen, and these tears were so very different.

Lyanna felt sick. She could feel Oberyn trembling against her back, she could feel his tears sinking into her hair, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She couldn't think of a single word that might give comfort to her husband, even though only months ago she had received news of her father's and brother's deaths.

She took Oberyn's hand and held it tightly. For the first time, she noticed his skinned, bloody knuckles. He must have punched a wall. "What happened?"

"The Lannisters betrayed the Mad King. They sacked the city, and murdered Elia and her children to show loyalty to Robert Baratheon. Your brother says that they presented them to our new king wrapped in Lannister cloaks to hide the blood. He says–" Oberyn paused, and choked back a sob. "Lord Stark says they were brutalised. Rhaenys was stabbed dozens of times, Aegon's head was smashed in, and… and Elia…" This time he couldn't stop the sob from wrenching itself from his throat. He released Lyanna's hand, and pulled her even more tightly against himself.

"Oberyn, what did they do to Elia?" She asked softly, though she had a horrible suspicion that she already knew.

For a moment he said nothing. Just when she thought he wouldn't answer, he choked out a response. "They raped her, Lya. They raped her, they murdered her, and they killed her children."

Again, Lyanna had no words. She kissed his bloodied knuckles, and let him cry into her hair, while her pillow became wet with her own tears.

The Red Viper was not a man who cried easily. His anger burned quicker and hotter than wildfire, but she had rarely seen him cry. Not even when they had received news of his uncle Lewyn's death. Then, he had been all rage; throwing things, and shouting, and cussing. The tears she had seen filling his eyes had never fallen. She knew the anger would come later, but now he just cried, and clung to her like he was drowning.

Lyanna lay there, thinking. She thought of little Rhaenys, who had adored the pet kitten that Oberyn had given her for her third nameday, and would talk about nothing else. She thought of Elia, who had been so quick to call Lyanna 'sister'. She thought of baby Aegon, who had been just barely older than her Torrhen.

They lay there for hours, neither sleeping, even when they ran out of tears to cry. It was Lyanna who finally broke the silence. "Oberyn, what will we tell the girls?"

He lifted his head, and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was rough from crying. "We tell them the truth, Lya."

They slipped back into silence. Eventually, the sun began to rise, and they had to get up to break the girls' hearts with the loss of their aunt and cousins.

Oberyn helped Lyanna dress, tying her gown, and helping her put on her slippers as she could no longer reach her feet.

As soon as Oberyn helped her stand, Lyanna threw her arms around him, and hugged him as tightly as she could despite her belly being in the way. He hugged her back with one arm, laying his head on top of hers. His other hand moved to rest on her stomach, over their child.

Finally, Lyanna found her words. "You know, if it's a girl we can name her Elia."

She felt him smile against her hair. "I'd like that."

* * *

Notes:

Well, the baby will be Jon, but it was a nice thought. Maybe I'll write one where their third child is a girl named Elia.  
About the timeline: Oberyn and Lya met at Harrhenhal when Lya was 13. They got betrothed, and were married by the time she was 14. Then they had Torrhen while she was still 14. Now she's 16 and is around 7-8 months pregnant with Jon.

Please tell me what you think!

EDIT: I got an ask from F_enrir in the North, _and due to their private messaging being disabled, I couldn't respond privately. So I'll respond here. (But seriously, if you turn on private messaaging I'd be happy to talk to you about this!) Yes, I realize that Lyanna was rather young when she married, but fourteen was the age that many women got married at in medieval times. So while it seems odd to us in our current culture, it made perfect sense back then. Remember, girls were considered women as soon as they had their first period. As for what started the war, I think that Aerys's paranoia would eventually lead him to lash out. So if he became wary of the Starks, he might arrest Brandon over nothing but delusions. And then the executions would happen as they did in the books.


End file.
